11/22/2011

The Mirror Ball Trophy Winner and Champion of 'Dancing With the Stars' is...

It’s finally time to crown a new champion! It started with 12 couples and Tuesday, it was down to three. Still, only one would go home with the Mirror Ball Trophy. Let’s recap the night.

The show kicked off with the pros dancing an energizing opening number.

Then they reunited with their partners and did a little dance. Then the contestants still remaining came down the stairs and made their grand entrance.

Lady Antebellum was up next to perform "Dancing Away with My Heart" off their new album, "Own the Night". They were beautifully accompanied by Troupe members Sasha, Teddy, Kiki, Sharna, Dasha and Oksana on the dance floor. This was the first of two performances by the Grammy winning country group.

In this next round the stars will redo a dance that loved and try to do even better with it. Ricki and Derek chose their “Psycho” Tango to perform again, and I am so excited about that! I felt like it started off not as crisp as the first time I saw it, but then they quickly regained their momentum. This dance is just so interesting to watch with all of the timing changes and the intensity in the music. If I’m being honest, I liked it better the first time, but did think it was a lot of fun to see them perform it again. Len said it was the most memorable dance ever and that he loved it the second time around. Bruno said it was a cinematic extravaganza. Carrie Ann said that she proved that she was a fighter and thought it was beyond perfect the second time around. Wow! I guess I just don’t know what I’m looking at then because I thought it was better the first time.

Rob and Cheryl went second and they decided that they would perform their Fox Trot again because he dedicated it to his dad and it had a lot of meaning for him. Wow, he came out with flair! I loved how they got right into the dance. He does seem much lighter on his feet this time around. I think that it’s interesting to see a contestant to perform a dance they did so early in the competition, especially with little to no experience. His family was crying and smiling and cheering in the audience for him! Bruno said that he has improved beyond everyone’s expectations and he’s got his mojo. Carrie Ann said that there was elegance and refinement tonight and that he made it look easy. Len said that the little slip he had on the dance floor meant nothing and that he has some of the best footwork he’s ever seen of any guy who’s ever performed on the show! That’s a great compliment from Len!

J.R. and Karina decided to do their Jive again and take out the stuff that the judges penalized them for last time like the lift and doing some Lindy moves. They had a few timing issues in the very beginning but once they got past that, they did a great job! It was full of fun and energy. There was also a little trouble spot towards the end where it looked like he lost his place or timing a bit and didn’t really have the pop in his legs that we know he can have. Carrie Ann said that he is a catalyst for joy but didn’t know what happened to the problem parts of it out there. Len said that the band did a great job, but added that he did exactly what he was asked to do and complimented his personality. Bruno said that he loved the energetic, fast-paced fun, and he loved it! I guess they noticed all of those trouble spots too but it was hard not to like the dance just because he is so much fun to watch! I hope he didn’t just cost himself the Mirror Ball!

In 3rd place for the round with 26 points it went to Rob and Cheryl (Seriously? Theirs was fabulous!) They now have 83 judges’ points.

In 2nd place for 28 points, it was J.R. and Karina who now have 82 judges’ points.

Ricki and Derek took home the top amount of 30 points to get the top judges’ score of 84 points.

It was time for an elimination! The third place contestants after the votes from viewers at home and the judges scores was Ricki and Derek. Wow, I’m a little shocked! For some reason I thought people may not vote for Rob, but I think it’s very easy to underestimate his gigantic fan base. Ricki did a great job and they showed her boys in the audience. Derek and Ricki were clearly bummed, but they did seem happy just to make it to the finals.

Then it was time for the final two couples to perform their instant dances! They are dancing their instant Samba’s to “Shake Your Bon Bon” by Ricky Martin. J.R. is dancing his Samba first, and Rob will go second. The couples went off to rehearse while the show recapped.

Metta World Peace (AKA Ron Artest) and Elisabetta Canalis came back out to perform with their partners one more time. They both did better than I remember them doing during their actual performances on the show when they were being judged.

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas came out next and did a new routine that was super cute like a sock hop! It was really great and I still can’t believe she didn’t make it further in the competition.

Then, Chynna Phillips was back with Tony Dovolani to perform the “Mission Impossible” dance that she completely messed up and blanked out on the first time. I bet she rehearsed that dance to death! It was WAY better than the first time, but let’s face it, she wasn’t as good as Ricki, J.R. or Rob! Still, it was nice to see her get her redemption.

Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya were out next to dance to “Vogue”. Carson was his very own Madonna. He got to dance with Val Chmerkovskiy, a dream of his apparently ha-ha. The actual dancing parts were pretty good and I must say, Anna looked fantastic! I think my favorite part was when Carson spanked himself.

Nancy Grace was out to perform her “Spamalot” routine again and she did a great job! It was nice to see her out there having fun! I really think that her performance value really improved since the last time she was out dancing.

Chaz was up next with Lacey and her dad Buddy! Wow, after a little rest, Chaz had some pep in his step! I love watching Lacey’s dad dance! He’s fabulous! It’s clear where Lacey gets her talent from.

David Arquette and Kym Johnson performed “We’ll Always be Together” from “Greece” and it was fantastic! I really wish he would have lasted longer in the competition. I enjoyed watching him dance!

Lady Antebellum was back out to perform to perform their huge hit “I Need You Now”. What a great song! Remember, this whole time J.R. and Rob are practicing their “Instant Dance”. Is it just me or is an hour to rehearse not really “Instant”? It’s a short amount of time, I get that, but it’s not “Instant”.

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy came back and danced again. Oops! Hope accidentally kicked one of the lights on the stage! Hopefully she’s ok! She needs her feet to kick soccer balls! This dance was kind of a bit of a hot mess, but what can you do? It was out of sync and Hope looked like she hadn’t practiced it all that much. She was laughing at the end of it, so it looks like she just bumped the light and didn’t hit it too hard.

At long last, J.R. and Karina were up with their “Instant Samba”. It was full of fun and heat! Those two are electric together! I felt like a few of the parts were a little slow and they could have picked up the pace to the beat a little but it was a great job overall!

Then, Rob and Cheryl came out right away. You could tell he was closely watching every move Cheryl made. They had good energy and I really thought that their choreography was perhaps even a little better! But, it will all depend on what the judges thought of their performances technically speaking.

Len actually stood up and applauded them both! Bruno said that J.R. can turn it on and make it a party time, while Rob has really learned how to use his bon bon! Carrie Ann said it was so much fun to watch and that for one of them it was their victory dance, but that they are both winners.

Their final judges scores for J.R. and Karina were all 10’s! 112 was their final judges’ score to be combined with the viewers’ votes.

Rob and Cheryl got all 10’s! 113 was their final judges’ score to be combined with the viewers’ votes.

In the end, J.R. and Karina were victorious! They won the Mirror Ball Trophy! Rob and Cheryl did a fantastic job, but J.R. was consistently good pretty much the whole way through and was an inspiration to the entire country with his story. This also marks Karina’s first Mirror Ball win!